Lisl Wong - Saying Hello

Lisl in Her Rocking Chair -Photo by Nigel A  JAMES

Lisl, Her Cat, Her Home, Her Chair and Her Garden

There’s a thread that runs through everyone’s life. For some it is real in the life that they lead; whilst, for others it’s a dream that takes years to come to fruition. But, for Lisl Wong, it was a wish that came true just as soon as she stepped over the line that divides years of hard work from the wide open space of time that is waiting and there for the taking.

And time was the thing that she needed, and filling it was never a question. After years at the top, this bundle of strength and dynamic ideas was moving on quickly to her life-long goal of becoming a carpenter. And so, Lisl enthusiastically began a course of learning by doing; and now, with new skills in her hands, she has succeeded in bringing out the restorer that was always within her!

“Of course”, she says, “one has to be able to see how the object once was and how it will be”. And, it is to this end that Lisl’s deep interest in art and design comes handily in. But what she does is fantastic, and, the best example of her work is the wonderful old Thonet rocking chair that she has lovingly brought back to life!

But fine pieces of furniture demand perfect settings, and Lisl’s home is amongst the best that there are. It is not only an oasis of quietness and peace amidst the hustle and bustle of Viennese city life; it is also the perfect home for her art, her books, and her furniture; and, of course, her cat and her plants.

And, plants mean much for Lisl, as well. When she’s not busy with her sawing and gluing and putting old chairs back together again, she can be found in her garden where she tenderly cares for all that she grows and the 4 legged creatures that come calling at night.

But Lisl’s life isn’t just gardens, carpentry and Vienna. Travelling, too, has always been important for her. Her feet have trod the dry paths of Israel; she has stood behind forbidden walls of China; she has seen the sun come up o’er Africa, and she has felt the white shining cold of clear Arctic moons!

But, however far you may travel, you can only be where you are now, and rocking comfortably beside her fire - with her cat on her lap - is the place that Lisl loves best!